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University of Arizona President Robert N. Shelton delivered his State of the University Address Wednesday in Phoenix. It was the first time he has given the speech outside of Tucson.

University of Arizona President Robert N. Shelton delivered his State of the University address Wednesday in Phoenix, speaking about the UA's connections to Phoenix and calling for a renewed commitment for higher education in a “time of unprecedented economic stress.”

Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon introduced Shelton to the 380 guests gathered at the Hyatt Regency Phoenix Downtown. Those in attendance included invited members of the Arizona Board of Regents, Arizona legislators and Phoenix business leaders.

Shelton’s speech weaved historical references to the University’s humble beginnings with more current examples of the UA’s contributions to the state.

He urged the Phoenix community – and Arizona in general – to invest in higher education and also spoke specifically about the UA's contributions to the Phoenix community in biotechnology and medical education.

Shelton cited the Phoenix Biomedical Campus as having “the most profound impact on the community and the state” with its UA College of Medicine-Phoenix, in partnership with Arizona State University, including the presence of the UA College of Pharmacy and the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. 

These programs, Shelton said, work to address a shortage of health care professionals in the state. Arizona has 681 nurses per 100,000 people, compared to a national average of 825, he said.

“In the field of pharmacy, there are similar shortages and, among physicians – the most critical and time-consuming to train – Arizona averages 214 doctors per 100,000 patients, substantially below the national average of 250,” Shelton said.

Meeting those national averages, he said, will be pivotal for the state’s demographic needs.

Shelton added that 60 percent of biotechnology companies were created as a result of knowledge gained from university medical schools. He said 80 percent of biotech companies are located within 60 miles of a medical school campus.

A stumbling block in meeting the state’s medical needs was the delay in the construction of a Health Sciences Education Building in Phoenix, Shelton said, adding that the site is necessary "if we are going to increase the enrollment in both pharmacy and medicine, and fulfill the plan for this campus.”

The site will enable the UA College of Medicine-Phoenix, in partnership with Arizona State University, to increase its class size from its current 48 medical students to 120 students per class, with an additional 80 students in pharmacological studies.

The building was approved by the Arizona Board of Regents, and the governor signed a bill supporting it. Also, bond money payable through the lottery was ready to go, but  a legislative committee has refused to give it a procedural hearing to move forward with construction.

Due to the delay, “more than 5,000 construction jobs and a future economic engine for this region hang in the balance and wait,” Shelton said.

He urged business and community leaders in Phoenix to “help us get this project moving forward.”

Shelton also addressed the UA's efforts to maintain quality given the state’s cuts to higher education, noting that in the last two decades, state allocations to the university system has declined from 16 percent to 10 percent.

Over the past two years, state funding for the UA “has declined by $100 million, roughly one-quarter of our state appropriation," Shelton said.

The result has led to the elimination of 600 positions at the UA, the closure of 24 academic programs, the merging of nine other academic programs and the consolidation of four colleges into one.

“Simply said, we have cut all we can cut if we are going to continue to fulfill our mission to the state,” Shelton said. 

He referenced a statewide survey conducted by the Center for the Future of Arizona, a think tank established by former Arizona State University President Lattie Coor.

The survey established higher education goals for the state, including: to create quality jobs for all Arizonans, to prepare Arizonans of all ages for careers in the 21st-century workforce and to make Arizona “the place to be” for talented young people. Shelton said all of these require public investment in higher education.

“More cutting is not the answer," Shelton said. "It is time to renew the investment in our state’s future.”